The 400 Blows Backdrop Blur
The 400 Blows Poster
8.0 1h 39m

The 400 Blows

"Angel faces hell-bent for violence."

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

Top Cast

  • Jean-Pierre Léaud

    Jean-Pierre Léaud

    Antoine Doinel

  • Claire Maurier

    Claire Maurier

    Gilberte Doinel

  • Albert Rémy

    Albert Rémy

    Julien Doinel

  • Georges Flamant

    Georges Flamant

    Mr. Bigey

  • Patrick Auffay

    Patrick Auffay

    René

  • Robert Beauvais

    Robert Beauvais

    Directeur de l'école

  • Yvonne Claudie

    Yvonne Claudie

    Mme Bigey

  • Pierre Repp

    Pierre Repp

    Professeur d'anglais

  • Guy Decomble

    Guy Decomble

    Professeur de français

Overview

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

Rating

8.0 / 10
2,336 Reviews
2 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    7 Feb 24, 2023

    Jean-Pierre Léaud is super in this story of a troubled young lad who goes from having troubles at school to petty crime, all under the not so very watchful gazes of his adulteress mother (Claire Maurier) and happy-go-lucky father (Albert Rémy) who spend most of their time squabbling with each other. When his antics finally attract the attention of the police, they decide that maybe some time in juvenile detention might not do him any harm so off he goes - but he is not there for long! It's an episodic story that raises laughs and heckles in equal measure. You cannot help but like this tearaway. It's not so much that he wants attention (though he certainly does), it is that he is has initiative. He is bored; bored of his constantly rowing parents, of the teachers who don't really care about him. He is mischievous, he likes having fun - especially with his pal "René" (Patrick Auffay) with whom he has a few escapades and even lives for a short time. Theft is a serious matter but somehow when he pinches a typewriter from his dad's office - one that doesn't work, by the way, it has to make you smile. The ending features one of these scenes from a film that you will never forget. It is simple, and it's that simplicity coupled with this young boy's charming and enthusiastic performance that makes this film memorable, enjoyable and probably my favourite from François Truffaut.

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

Sound and Fury

This drama depicts the misery of neglected children in big cities. 13 years old Bruno is of a good family, but since the death of his grandmother he spends most of his time alone, in a phantasy world, while his mother is away at work. But then he befriends the violent Jean-Roger, who's from a severely disturbed family, where nobody cares what he's doing. In school Jean-Roger drives their teacher into despair just for fun. To separate the two boys, she starts to stimulate Bruno's interests by giving him extra lessons. When Jean-Roger fears loosing his one and only friend, he becomes even more aggressive.

Sound and Fury

6.6 1988